Petitions for UCT to divest handed over to Vice Chancellor Dr Max Price

On 21 November, students from the UCT Climate Action Project and Green Campus Initiative met with Vice Chancellor Dr Max Price to hand over in person the various letters and petitions calling for UCT to stop investing in climate change.

These included:

The most recent2016 Renewed Call for UCT to divest (click if you’d still like to add your signature), endorsed by the Climate Action Project, Green Campus Initiative, Fossil Free UCT and the United Nations Association of South Africa UCT Chapter; and also signed by 83 individuals.

The2015 ACDI Masters class call on UCT to divest: “Development of a fossil fuel divestment strategy for UCT”, signed by the Class of 2015 Masters in Climate Change & Sustainable Development University of Cape Town; the Class of 2015 Masters in Environment, Society and Sustainability University of Cape Town; with “strong endorsement” from the Environmental and Geographical Sciences Department.

The original 2013Fossil Free UCT petition: “UCT to divest from fossil fuels and invest in sustainable energy”, with 395 signatures, and counting.

Dr Price received the letter and our concerns with attention, but also called for more leadership from students on campus on these issues. He said that he would work to push forward the work of the university’s ethical investment task team, and agreed to a proposed half-day solutions think tank session with VC, Council, academic chairs, experts and students next year to strategise around divestment.

We are a network of South Africans calling for divestment from fossil fuels – and restorative reinvestment in sustainable energy – to stigmatise fossil fuel use, accelerate sustainable system change, help slow climate change, reduce the financial risks of fossil fuel investments, and so help secure our human rights and common future.